Christine Elizabeth Sammer

Christine was born April 22, 1949 to Cecil and Doris Davis (Sargeant) in Spokane, Washington. Because both of Christine’s parents were teachers—math and nursing, respectively—and had the summers ‘off work’, throughout Christine’s childhood, her parents would pack Christine and her sister, Barbara, into their car and travel. Their passion was camping on the beach and collecting shells, forming Christine’s lifelong love of travel, shells, and the beach.

Christine traveled the world, reaching six of the seven continents. While she loved all of her travels, Christine was a true anglophile, adoring high tea and Harrods. When traveling to London with her own very young children, she wanted nothing more than to have high tea, with cucumber sandwiches, scones with clotted cream, petit fours, and Darjeeling. But she was frustrated by her daughter, Julie, being bitten by a goose, her son, Marcus, demanding pizza at all times, and her son Douglas, pestering Marc. Christine did have high tea and shop at Harrods, and her children all have wonderful memories of that trip. In addition to travel, Christine loved spending time with friends and family, telling stories and tall tales. Christine also enjoyed spending time outdoors, whether at a National Park, while being frustrated at golf, or having a picnic and watching a play at Shakespeare in the Park in Ft. Worth.

Christine was also an excellent public speaker. She honed this skill throughout her education and remarkable career—as a Registered Nurse and Doctor of Public Health, a nursing home administrator, diabetes educator, hospital administrator, and last, as the director of corporate patient safety at Advent Health. Christine’s passion for education was felt by all, from the patients she directly taught about their personal health to the health care providers she taught about patient safety at the corporate level.

Christine was a wonderful mom and grandma. She will be missed, remembered, and loved by all who knew her, especially by her immediate family who survive her:

Son - Douglas Sammer and wife Ellen, Dallas, Texas

Grandchildren – Caleb, Ethan, Joshua, Abby

Son - Marcus Sammer and wife Marla, The Woodlands, Texas

Grandchildren – Fiona, Luke and Grandpets Chevrolet and Loki

Daughter - Julie Sammer and husband Chris Fahrenthold, Madison, Wisconsin

Grandpets – Napoleon and Greta

Sister – Barbara James, Collegedale, Tennessee

Because Christine was able to spend time and exchange messages with so many of her wonderful friends, family, and loved ones over her final weeks, she decided not to have a funeral or memorial service. Christine would have liked any donations made to the cancer research or support institution of your choice (for instance, she loved the supportive community at the Canopy Cancer Survivorship Center in The Woodlands, TX—she gabbed and knitted with other survivors at Canopy while receiving treatment in The Woodlands). As an educator, she would have liked to gently remind everyone to keep up-to-date with all cancer screenings, and to talk with your extended family about the familial history of cancer to be able to share with medical providers in order to be proactive in your individual health journey.